An election observation group, YIAGA Africa, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for their professional handling of Saturday’s Osun governorship election.
The Chairman of YIAGA Africa’s Osun Election Observation Mission, Dr Asmau Maikudi, disclosed this on Sunday in Osogbo while presenting the group’s Process and Verification Statement on the election.
Maikudi said YIAGA Africa had earlier described the poll as a defining test of electoral preparedness, security neutrality and public trust, noting that INEC, security agencies and political parties would be judged by their conduct on election day.
“With the election concluded, the evidence suggests that INEC and security agencies largely passed that test,” she said, adding that the significance of the outcome went beyond the state, given that Osun was the last major governorship election before the 2027 general election and an early test of the Electoral Act 2026.
She said the group deployed 300 stationary observers, 32 mobile observers and 30 LGA collation observers across all 30 local government areas, using its Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology.
Logistics Improved Despite SDP Setback
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Maikudi noted that INEC recorded a marked improvement in logistics, even after being forced to reprint ballot papers and result sheets just days to the election following a court-ordered inclusion of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
She said 48 per cent of polling units had begun accreditation and voting by 8:30 a.m., rising to 96 per cent by 9:30 a.m. — an improvement on the 2022 governorship election, where only 41 per cent of units had commenced by 8:30 a.m.
BVAS Functioned in 80% of Polling Units
On technology performance, Maikudi said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) worked properly in 80 per cent of polling units, while malfunctions recorded in the remaining 20 per cent were eventually resolved.
She added that INEC’s official results aligned with YIAGA Africa’s Watching the Vote (WTV) estimates, confirming that the announced results reflected the ballots counted at polling units.
Vote Buying Remains a Concern
Despite the operational gains, Maikudi said widespread reports of vote-buying and voter inducement raised serious concerns about the integrity of voters’ choices during the election.
Security Agencies Showed Restraint — YIAGA
On security, Maikudi said personnel largely exercised restraint despite a campaign period marked by violence, inflammatory rhetoric and public apprehension over the neutrality of security agencies.
“The election demonstrated that robust security deployment need not translate into excessive interference in the electoral process,” she said, stressing that consistency across future elections — regardless of which party controls the state or federal government — remains the true test of neutrality.
Maikudi said the Osun election proved that INEC could meet a high operational standard when adequately resourced and closely observed, while commending Osun residents for their turnout and urging them to hold elected officials accountable for campaign promises.
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